Here's more video, CNN Headline News analysis and a portion of a local television interview Duanna Johnson did with a Memphis TV reporter.She has either filed or is about to file a $1.3 million lawsuit against the city of Memphis, and the feds are investigating for possible civil rights violations.
The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition, run by Dr. Marisa Richmond commented on this issue:
The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC) denounces the cowardly attack by Memphis Police Officers upon Duanna Johnson, an African American transgender woman on February 12.
The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition was first made aware of this attack several weeks ago, but we did not issue a public statement in deference to Ms. Johnson's attorney's wishes. Last night's release by Memphis station WMC-TV of the video, capturing the brutality of the attack, and the indifference to her suffering by other members of the Memphis Police Department as well as by the attending nurse allows us to comment today.
"This reprehensible attack upon a person who was not resisting simply because of her gender expression has no place in a civilized society," said Dr. Marisa Richmond, President of TTPC. "The brutality of this attack must be dealt with by the judicial system. If Shelby County District Attorney, William Gibbons, who is reportedly considering a run for Governor in 2010, will not prosecute the officers involved for this obvious hate crime, then he should be removed from office for dereliction of duty," continues Richmond.
This past Saturday, the Memphis Police Department had a recruiting booth at Mid South Pride in Memphis, just steps away from the TTPC booth. "While we welcome the MPD's outreach effort to the GLBT community of Memphis, the fact that they still have not fired the officer who actually performed the assault calls into question their commitment to opening their doors to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and especially, transgender employees. Their presence at Pride was an important step, but the video shows how far they have to go," maintains Richmond.
The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition extends our sympathies and support to Johnson and her legal team.
Stay tuned...this is going to get very interesting. It helps make our case that we transpeople are under attack even by the people who are supposed to serve and protect us, and we can no longer afford to 'wait' to have our civil rights recognized as Barney and HRC wish.
